


The Edge of Time

by NovaButterfly



Category: Code Lyoko
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-02-17 00:03:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13064952
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovaButterfly/pseuds/NovaButterfly
Summary: Odd finds himself pining after the new girl but the only time he's able to connect with her is when Xana attacks. He's determined to win her heart, even if it means shirking his responsibilities on Lyoko. Each return to the past puts him right back at the start, ignored and desperate.Contains OC/main character romance





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I recently rewatched Code Lyoko with my niece and it sparked such a huge wave of nostalgia and I found myself writing this. Code Lyoko was the first thing I ever wrote fanfiction about so it's like I'm 12yo again writing for my friends. I mostly ship Odd with Sissi but I wanted to try writing an OC in a fic since I haven't done that in about 13 years. I was really unsure about posting this, but hopefully someone likes it!

The Lyoko gang had been enjoying an unusually long Xana free week. They were able to spend their days focusing on school work and their evenings playing with friends. They doubtfully hoped that this meant Xana had given up, or somehow deleted himself all together. They knew it was unlikely, but they still enjoyed their time away from Lyoko, being normal teens.

At this particular time of day, the five could be found in the cafeteria enjoying their lunch. Being a Saturday, they had the rest of the day to do as they pleased and wouldn’t have classes until the following Monday. Odd, as usual, was trying to charm his way into seconds from Rosa. She’d heard every spiel, every compliment and excuse. She sighed loudly when she’d seen him coming and readied herself for whatever he’d cooked up today.

“Good afternoon, Rosa. Are those new glasses?” He asked, putting on his most charming smile.

“No.” she said bluntly, and uninterested.

“Well they look just lovely today. Really bring out your eyes.”

“Save it, Odd. You’ve had enough. If I give you seconds I won’t have enough to feed the rest of the school.”

Dejected, Odd gave up and headed back to the table his friends occupied. He slumped down in his seat and sighed.

“No luck today either?” Aelita asked, with a small smile.

“I’ve used up every trick on her. She sees right through me now. It’s just not fair. I’m a growing boy. The tiny portions she gives us aren’t enough to sustain me through the day.” Odd grumbled.

The others rolled their eyes at their friend who had at least three stomachs. Ulrich was all too familiar with the endless supply of snacks he kept in their dorm to munch on throughout the day and night. Sometimes he’d wake up in the middle of the night to find Odd covered in crumbs with an empty bag of chips on his pillow next to him.

Before Odd could complain any further, a tray full of food appeared before him. Wide eyed, he looked from the food to the person who had placed it there.

“Here. I heard you in line. I’m not really hungry so you’re welcome to mine if you want.” With that the girl turned and walked out of the cafeteria.

“Who was that?” Yumi asked.

“Celeste. She just transferred here three weeks ago.” Ulrich answered.

“She’s a total babe, isn’t she?” Odd asked, taking a forkful of food into his mouth.

“You just think that because she’s feeding you.” Ulrich laughed, prompting chuckles from the other three.

“Sure, that may be a part of it but just look at her. She could get any guy she wants.”

“That may be true, but she’s very shy and a little antisocial.” Aelita spoke up. “I never see her speaking to anyone and she usually goes straight to her room at the end of the day and doesn’t come back out until morning.”

“She probably just hasn’t made any friends yet.” Jeremie said, standing and picking up his tray. “I’m going to head to the lab for a bit. Anyone want to come with?”

“What for? There hasn’t been an attack in days.” Yumi pointed out, crossing her arms on the table in front of her.

“I just want to make sure the superscan on my laptop isn’t broken. It’s unusual for Xana to be so quiet for this long.”

“I’ll go with you.” Aelita said, standing.

They waved goodbye to their friends and took off.

“So, if you’re so interested in this girl, why don’t you try talking to her?” Yumi asked.

“I’ve tried. Every time I see her outside of class she just disappears.” Odd answered with a sigh.

“Well you should at least thank her for the food.” Ulrich said, gesturing to the nearly empty tray.

“Yea, maybe I’ll get my chance this afternoon.”

\---

Later in the day, Odd was left on his own while Jeremie and Aelita were still at the lab and Yumi and Ulrich decided to take this chance to have a real date. Odd envied the four of them. He had a bit of a playboy reputation around school so none of the girls wanted to go out with him anymore. Even so, he’d never found someone who made him feel the way they did for each other. Still, he was hopeful that he’d find someone eventually.

With that thought in mind, he set off to find Celeste to thank her for lunch. He hoped she wasn’t in her dorm already. He wasn’t sure which was hers and didn’t want to bother Aelita by asking. Instead he decided to do a once over of campus and see if he could spot her. Maybe this time she wouldn’t disappear.

“Your friends leave you all alone for the day?” A familiar voice called out as he passed by.

He turned his gaze to Sissi and raised an eyebrow. “What about you? I don’t see your usual goons hanging around.”

“They’re fetching me a drink.” She responded, crossing her arms. “Poor lonely Odd, no girl with hang out with you anymore. How sad.”

“What about you? You’ve officially lost to Yumi. That’s gotta sting, huh?”

She harrumphed and stomped her foot. “It’s not like they’re married. They could still break up!”

“Sure thing, Sissi.”

“It never gets old, does it?” She asked, a small smile on her lips.

“Never.” Odd agreed.

Since they’d become friends with Sissi and welcomed her into their group, she and Odd still enjoyed picking on each other relentlessly. They tried not to hurt either one too badly, usually apologizing when one pushed it too far.

In the distance, Odd spotted a few girls in his class. Leaving Sissi behind, he sprinted toward them, calling out their names.

“Emily! Claire!” They turned to look at him, immediately distrusting his intentions.

“What do you want, Odd?” Claire asked.

“Have you guys seen Celeste anywhere?” He asked.

“Celeste? That’s the new girl, right?” Emily asked, trying to remember what she looked like.

“Yea, her.”

“She was over by the library.” Claire said, turning and pointing. “But she seems to have disappeared.”

“Yea, she’s got a habit of doing that. Thanks for your help.” He ran off in the direction of the library, hoping he could find her inside.

As he approached the building, a bit of movement on the roof caught his eye. He stopped and turned his gaze upward, only to see Celeste sitting on the slanted roof, a book in hand.

“So that’s where she hides.” He said to himself.

Odd wasn’t even sure how to get up there. He was pretty sure the way would be blocked or at the very least locked, yet there she was. He figured not many people would notice her up there. Odd readied to venture inside and find the way up the roof, only to be stopped by his phone ringing. The ID read Jeremie.

“What’s up, Jeremie? I was just about to make my move on Celeste.” He said with a sigh.

“I was right to come to the lab. There’s an activated tower in the forest sector. I need you to get to the lab. Yumi and Ulrich are already on their way.” Jeremie explained.

“They must be pretty bummed. They finally got to have a proper date and Xana shows up as the third wheel.”

“You haven’t noticed anything weird on campus, have you?”

“No. Not yet anyway.”

“Then hurry up and get here.”

“Sure thing, Einstein.”

Odd hung up the phone, and turned his gaze back up to Celeste. He’d been so close to finally talking to her. He’d have to try again later, now that he knew where she liked to spend her free time. Odd turned to make his way to the forest entrance to the sewers, when he was stopped by a scream in the distance. He searched in the direction that the scream had come from.

A black cloud of smoke snaked along the ground, every person it passed instantly fell over and was unable to stand back up without falling right back down. From what Odd could guess, the cloud was throwing off their sense of balance. It was a strange attack, Odd thought. What was the point of knocking people off their feet?

As the cloud came toward Odd, he leapt into the air, effectively dodging the cloud. Usually Xana went after the Lyoko warriors and refused to give up until the tower was deactivated, but it just kept going. Odd watched it approach the library, then climb up the wall toward the roof. Odd looked to Celeste, who was standing and staring down at the commotion below, unaware that it was coming for her.

“Hey!” Odd yelled, waving his arms to get her attention.

She looked at him, wide eyed.

“You’ve got to run! Hurry!” He shouted.

She tried to heed his warning, but before she could make her way off the roof, the cloud reached her. She dropped her book, her hand rising to her head as dizziness overtook her. She stumbled a few steps before her foot slipped off the edge of the roof and she began to fall. Odd sprinted forward and put his arms out to catch her. As she made contact, Odd was knocked off his feet but both where unharmed, aside from maybe a few bruises.

“Are you ok?” Odd asked.

“I’m dizzy.” She responded.

“Think you can run?”

“I don’t even think I can stand.”

Odd stood, and crouched down in front of her, with his back turned.

“Climb aboard. I’ll get you to safety.” He said.

“Why me?” She asked.

“You did something nice for me. I’m just returning the favor.” He grinned.

Celeste slowly and carefully climbed onto his back. Odd stood and took off toward the forest entrance.

\---

Celeste was unable to ask many questions during the journey as the world swirled every time she opened her eyes. She knew they had descended into the sewers, based on the smell, and asked him where exactly they were going. He gave her a vague response and kept running. Celeste really thought she might hurl and/or slide off Odd’s back when he jumped from a platform and grabbed a rope a few feet away. Luckily, she did neither, choosing to scream instead. When Odd’s feet touched the ground he took off again, only stopping when he reached an elevator. The motions of the elevator as it descended did nothing for her dizziness.

“How are you doing back there?” He asked, a smile in his voice.

“I think I’m going to be sick.” She responded, tightening her hold around his shoulders.

“I don’t think Jeremie will be too happy if you hurl in his lab.”

“Lab?” She asked, trying once more to open her eyes.

What she saw as the doors opened was a room tinted green swirling in her vision. She barely made out a blonde figure sitting at a computer as he shouted commands into a microphone and typed away.

Odd set Celeste down near the computer and headed back for the elevator. Before the doors closed he called out.

“Celeste, this is Jeremie. He’ll look after you.”

“Where are you going?” She asked, watching the doors close over his blurry figure.

“To save the day!” With that the doors closed, and Odd was gone.

“What’s going on?” Celeste wasted no time turning her questions to Jeremie.

“That’s a little hard to explain right now.” Jeremie responded followed by, “Look out guys! Two kankrelats on your left.”

“Kankre-whats? Are you playing a video game?” Celeste tried to look up at the screen but couldn’t make sense of the swirls of color.

“Not exactly. Let’s just say it’s my connection to another world.”

Celeste wasn’t sure how to respond to that. This was the most conversation she’d had since she arrived at this school. Not being able to see the people she was talking to certainly made it easier to talk to them.

“Where did he go?” Celeste asked, curious about the boy who saved her. The boy whose name she didn’t even know.

“Don’t worry, he’s safe.” Jeremie said, typing quickly on his keys.

Celeste’s cheeks colored a light shade of pink at the insinuation. Ok she was a little worried. The last thing she saw was a black cloud coming toward her. Then the dizziness hit, and she was falling and then crashing into the boy. She didn’t understand any of it, but she was beginning to get a headache from it all. She closed her eyes tight and leaned back against the solid surface behind her.

“You guys might want to pick up the pace.” Jeremie said into his mic.

“We’re going as fast as we can, Jeremie.” A female voice responded.

Celeste jumped at the voice coming from the computer. She hadn’t expected it. What exactly was he playing? An online multiplayer with some friends? Was now really the time for this? Celeste wondered if she could get herself out of there herself and to a hospital. Clearly, she needed medical attention. Maybe that’s where the boy had gone, to get her help.

“We’re almost too the tower.” That voice she knew. “How’s she doing?” He asked.

“She’s fine for now. Get Aelita to the tower if you want to save your princess.” Jeremie laughed.

“Hey now, I haven’t even had the chance to use my moves yet!” He yelled back.

“Relax, we’re going to have to do a return anyway. It’s not like she’ll remember any of this.”

“Why won’t I remember this? What happened to me?” Celeste’s heart rate sped as she began to hyperventilate. It occurred to her that she didn’t really know who any of these people were or what they were going to do to her.

“Don’t worry, Aelita’s in the tower.” A different male voice said.

Jeremie was noticeably relieved as he sighed and sat back in his chair. Celeste was still panicking as a full-blown panic attack threatened to creep in.

“It’s ok. You’ll be fine in a minute.” Jeremie said, reaching out and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“Tower deactivated.” A female voice said.

“Great work Aelita. Return to the past now.”

Celeste barely had a chance to ask what that meant before the world went white before her eyes.

\----

The group of five where back in the cafeteria. Odd had returned from being turned down by Rose once more and sighed.

“I thought maybe I’d have better luck this time but still nothing.” Odd said.

“Are you sure you weren’t just trying to trigger a different chain of events?” Yumi teased.

As if on cue, Celeste appeared. She set her full tray in front of Odd.

“Here. I heard you in line. I’m not really hungry so you’re welcome to mine if you want.”

Celeste turned to walk away but Odd quickly grabbed her wrist.

“Wait!” She looked back at him with bored eyes. “You’re Celeste right?” He asked, letting her go.

“Yea.” She said, tucking the arm he’d touched under her other arm.

“I was new here once and I know it can be tough on your own. You’re welcome to sit with us if you want.” He put on his most charming smile as he scooched over to make room.

Celeste stared at the empty seat for a moment and then shook her head.

“No thanks. I have somewhere to be.” Without giving Odd another chance to respond, Celeste turned and left.

Odd sighed. Turned down twice in one day. Maybe he was losing his charm.

“Too bad, Odd. I really thought she might be interested in you.” Jeremie said.

“Really? Why?” Odd asked, suddenly perking up.

“Her face turned beat red when I mentioned you in the factory.”

“What? Really? That’s great! Maybe I have a chance after all.”

“Slow down, Romeo. You heard Aelita before. She keeps to herself. Girls like that don’t like to be chased aggressively.” Yumi said, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

“Yea, I get it. But if I made her blush once, I can make it happen again, right?” Odd asked, expectantly.

“It’s possible.” Aelita shrugged.

Hope was renewed in Odd as he finished off his second tray of food for the second time. His friends still went their separate ways after lunch, but this time Odd didn’t try to follow Celeste. Instead he watched her from afar, sitting on the roof of the library, headphones in her ears and book in her hands. Odd felt a flutter in his chest and wrote it off as an oncoming belch.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not a lot of interest in this story but I'll be updating it anyway cause I'm still writing it. I don't know if I'll ever actually write out what's happening on Lyoko cause I'm pretty bad at writing action scenes and I feel like it's not super relevant to the story since it's centered around Odd and he's only gone once so far. I don't know, if you want to see a lame attempt at some Lyoko fighting action let me know and I'll try.

Aelita sat in her room working on algebra homework, engrossed in the formulas before her eyes. She barely noticed when a knock sounded from across the room at her door. Without looking up from her homework she called out.

“Come in.”

The door opened to reveal Odd on the other side. “Hey.” He said with a smile and wave.

“Again?” She asked, finally looking up and setting her pencil down.

“What do you mean? Can’t a guy just stop by his friend’s room to see how she’s doing?”

“Of course. But is it really a nice gesture when he’s just doing it to get a look at the girl he’s crushing on?”

Odd smiled sheepishly. “It’s the only time I can see her outside of class. She’s never around.”

“Look, it’s fine as long as you’re quiet so I can finish this homework. But, maybe you should try asking her out somewhere. Wouldn’t that be better than just hanging around here hoping she’ll pass by? The Odd I know always went after the girl he was interested in.”

“Yea but it’s different this time. I really like her, and I don’t want to mess this up. What if she’s already heard about my reputation from the other girls?”

“You reap what you sew, Odd. Actions have consequences.”

Odd sighed and flopped back on Aelita’s bed, staring up at the ceiling. She was right, and he knew it. But he’d been younger then. Naïve. Hopefully Celeste would look past that and see that he was a good guy deep down. He turned his head to the open door and stared at the empty hallway beyond.

Her room was a few doors down from Aelita’s. If she came in through the front entrance, she’d have to walk by Aelita’s room to get to her own. Some days she did, some days she didn’t. All he could do was hope that he’d see a flash of golden brown hair as she hurried by.

Maybe Aelita was right. Maybe this time he should say something to her. Anything. If he could just start one conversation, things between them might bloom. It had been a week since the last Xana attack, a week since he’d last talked to her.

At lunch she ate by herself with a book in hand and left immediately after she was done. In class she was quiet and kept to herself. She never even raised her hand to answer questions, though she seemed to get good grades. He knew absolutely nothing about her, and yet he was mesmerized by her.

In the time since Aelita had gone back to work on algebra and Odd had been thinking things over in his head, trying to psych himself up, thirty minutes had passed. Just when he was going to give up for the day, footsteps approached. He sat up and watched as Celeste came into view.

She had her arms curled around a few books, held tightly to her chest. Her hair was in a neat braid that flapped against her spine as she walked. She wore a blue dress with the shoulders cut out and grey leggings. She looked beautiful to Odd. Time seemed to slow down as Odd watched her disappear beyond his line of sight.

With butterflies in his stomach and his heart in his throat, Odd leapt from the bed and stepped out into the hall. He almost lost his nerve when he saw her, key in the door, about to disappear, but he pushed forward.

“Celeste.” He called out, raising his hand in a wave.

She stopped, door half open, and looked at him without any hint of emotion in her features. She didn’t greet him and instead just waited for him to speak so she could hurry into her room. Odd took a deep breath and chewed the inside of his cheek, a nervous habit.

“I was wondering if you finished the algebra homework that’s due tomorrow. Aelita and I are working on it together if you want to join.” It was the best thing he could come up with on the spot.

She looked down at her books for a moment before turning her gaze back to Odd.

“I’ve already finished the homework.” She said, pushing her door the rest of the way open.

“O-oh. Is that so. Ok well maybe next time.”

She stared at him for a moment longer, tilting her head slightly to the side, before entering her room and closing the door. Odd slunk back to Aelita’s room and dramatically face planted onto her bed.

“What would you have done if she said yes?” Aelita asked, having heard it all. “You didn’t even bring your books with you.”

“I don’t know. I panicked. She’s so pretty and intimidating.” Odd’s words were muffled by the mattress and blanket pressed against his face.

Odd felt helpless. The last time he had feelings like this was with Sam, but things had been easier with her. She was outgoing and goofy. She started conversations. And, yea, she may have gotten him into a little bit of trouble, but at least he could talk with her and laugh with her. Celeste seemed so uninterested in everything around her. He’d never even seen her smile, or show any emotion for that matter. It was like she hated everyone and everything around her. Even when he was able to talk to her, she barely responded. She’d been so different when she’d been attacked by Xana. Maybe because she couldn’t see straight and Odd was all she had to rely on at the time. Giving up was probably the best option.

\--

The next few days Odd stayed away from Aelita’s room. He tried to distract himself with whatever was around. He actually kept up with his homework for once and got ahead in the reading for class. He tried not to look at Celeste when they were in class together or in the cafeteria at the same time. It wasn’t easy, and he wasn’t enjoying himself. But it was better than torturing himself with what ifs.

Odd sat by himself in the cafeteria. His friends had already finished their dinner and he’d sent them off without him. Normally he was the first to finish his food but today he was having a hard time eating. They had offered to stay with him until he was done, but he just wanted to be alone.

He poked at his food and sighed. Being in pre-love with someone was more painful than he would have thought. His stomach hurt, and he kept getting hit with a crashing wave of despair when he least expected it. Out of all the girls he could have fallen for, it had to be the only girl who didn’t seem to care he existed. At least the other girls who weren’t interested turned him down. Celeste was very unimpressed by his attempts to woo her. Or at least converse with her.

He wondered if she was in the cafeteria with him, but he purposefully sat with his back to her usual seat of choice. He fought the urge to turn around, digging his nails into his thighs to distract himself. It wasn’t working. Before he could stop himself, he whipped his head around and looked to the table she usually sat at. Her seat was empty.

He turned back to the table, angry at himself for even bothering to look in the first place. What if she had been there? What difference would it have made? Odd pushed his tray away from him, losing his appetite completely. Opting to just go to his dorm and go to bed, he stood and headed for the door. With his head turned down, he didn’t see the figure headed his way. They crashed and landed on the floor in a tangle of limbs. Odd rubbed his head where it smacked the floor. He was not in the mood for this today.

Ready to chew this person out for not paying attention, he looked up to find the person sprawled across him was none other than Celeste. Her eyes were wide and frantic and instantly everything Odd had been feeling moments ago, melted away. She was scared. Scared enough that she was running without watching where she was going.

“What’s wrong?” Odd asked, helping her to her feet.

“Bats.” She said, breathless.

“Bats? Like baseball?”

“No, the winged kind. Hundreds of them it seemed. I heard them overhead, so I stopped to observe, and they began to drop. They were coming after me, screeching, angry. I don’t know what I did. I barely got away.” Celeste yelped and grabbed hold of Odd’s arm when a bat smacked against the door she’d just come through.

Odd didn’t have time to be happy about the conversation and physical contact. Surely this was Xana. He walked Celeste to a seat and left her to call his friends. Jeremie answered his phone on the second ring.

“Odd, I was just about to call you. There’s a swarm of bats attacking people all over campus. We think it’s Xana.”

“Yea, they’ve got us trapped in the cafeteria.” Odd replied, watching out the window as the cloud of bats blocked out all light beyond.

“Ulrich is stuck too but Yumi is here with us. I’ll send the girls to Lyoko. Think you can make it here?”

Odd looked at Celeste, who was still visibly shaken. He knew his duty was to all of humanity and he had to try to make it to Lyoko. But first, he wanted to be sure she was ok.

“I’ll try.” He responded after a long pause.

“Good luck.” Jeremie hung up with a click.

Odd crossed the room back to Celeste. She looked up at him as he approached. He sat beside her and cleared his throat, suddenly nervous.

“They didn’t, like, bite you or anything, right? The last thing we need is a vampire in here.” He joked with an awkward smile.

She scrunched up her eyebrows and tilted her head. “Bats aren’t actually vampires. They’re fairly harmless creatures.”

Odd peaked around her at the window. “You sure about that?”

“This behavior is unusual. I’ve never seen this many bats together in one place. They were everywhere. I wasn’t the only one they were going after.”

A loud, synchronized screech startled them as they looked at the bats. They seemed to be using their echolocation at a high frequency, directed at the windows of the building. Odd chewed his lip. Of course, Xana would use whatever he could to get to them. If they managed to break the glass they’d all be at their mercy. Fish in a barrel. There was no way he could leave.

“I don’t understand this. They’re using their echolocation. They should know there’s a big building here. Why won’t they stop? What are they trying to accomplish?” Celeste asked. This was the most emotion Odd had heard in her voice since meeting her.

“I’m not sure.” Odd lied. “I’m sure it will be ok though.” He pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Jeremie, hoping for an update but also letting him know the situation there.

Celeste grabbed handfuls of her skirt, ringing it between her fingers in a nervous action, as she watched the bats behind the windows. Odd put his hand out, hesitating briefly. He wasn’t sure how she would react if he touched her, but he wanted so badly to comfort her. His hand landed on her arm. She jerked her head in his direction, surprised by the sudden contact.

“Don’t worry. We’re safe in here.” He said, trying to smile reassuringly.

“I hope you’re right.” She responded.

This was the most they’d spoken and part of him wanted to thank Xana for the opportunity. Maybe he was taking a break from evil and playing match maker instead. That theory was quickly debunked when another screech sounded and one of the windows cracked. Celeste’s hands let go of her skirt and grabbed Odd’s hand, that was still on her arm. Odd jumped at the action and had to bite his tongue to keep from smiling.

Odd was distracted and didn’t notice his phone buzzing in his pocket with a new text. Had he been paying attention, he would have known that Aelita was already in the tower and he didn’t have to worry much longer. When the bats screeched once more, the cracked window shattered. The cafeteria filled with screams but Odd hardly heard them as Celeste threw herself in his arms, burying her face in the side of his neck.

Odd held her close, trying to protect her from the bats. They dropped to the floor, still holding onto one another. Bats began to rain down on them and it took another minute for them to realize, they were asleep. Odd knew instantly that his friends had saved the day and a return the past was coming.

Celeste looked up at him, tears in the corners of her eyes. “Thanks.” She said, her voice quiet.

“I wish you would remember this.”

Before she had time to question his meaning, they were enveloped in a bright light.

\--

Odd had a skip in his step as he headed to the cafeteria for dinner for the second time. His friend’s exchanged glances, wondering what could have happened to change his mood so drastically. This time, with no bats to distract her, Celeste was sitting in her same seat as always. Her tray was pushed to the side, a book on the table in front of her.

Odd immediately went to her and sat across from her, clearing his throat to gain her attention. She looked up at him with slightly raised eyebrows.

“So, I was wondering what you think about…bats.” He said awkwardly

“Bats? They’re interesting.”

“Yea they’re pretty cool, right? The way they use that echolocation is cool.”

She stared at him, the only sign she wasn’t a statue was her continuous blinking.

“I mean, they sleep upside down and can’t see anything but they…they can yell and find where they are. Isn’t that, uh, neat?”

“Yea.”

“Ok.” Odd’s cheeks colored red as he stood again and walked back to his friends.

“What the hell was that?” Ulrich asked.

“She was going on and on about bats during the attack. I thought maybe she liked them and we could bond over that.” Odd sighed, slumping down in his seat.

“Maybe you should have done some research on bats before you talked to her.” Yumi said, a teasing smile on her face.

“Too late now. It seems like the only time I get close to her is when I’m saving her from Xana. And every time we have to do a return to the past. It’s not fair.” Odd grumbled, slumping forward, folding his arms on the table and resting his chin on top.

“Not always. When it’s something relatively harmless that doesn’t raise questions, we don’t do a return.” Jeremie pointed out.

Odd perked up a little. “Yea, that’s right. I just need to make sure I’m in the right place every time Xana attacks.”

“How are you going to do that?” Ulrich asked. “Stalking is still illegal.”

“If Jeremie just runs the superscan multiple times a day, I’ll know before hand and can find her. Easy.”

“Multiple times a day?” Jeremie asked.

“Sure. You’ll do it for your friend’s happiness, won’t you?” Odd asked, putting on his best puppy eyes.

Jeremie sighed. “Three times a day. Tops.”

Odd cheered, suddenly a little more hopeful.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This kind of sounds like the end, but it's still got a little ways to go.

Jeremie’s phone rang and he sighed. Of course, it was Odd. It was always Odd. Yes, Jeremie had promised to check the super scan several times a day, but this was getting ridiculous. Normally they were all vigilant, looking out for any kind of Xana attack. But Odd was pushing it. If a bird flew in a circle, he thought it was a Xana attack. If someone seemed slightly stronger than they appeared, Odd thought it was Xana. If someone screamed, even if it was a joyful scream, Odd thought it was Xana.

By this point, Jeremie was pretty sure that Odd would think Xana was attacking if he found ants in his snack drawer. It was strange that the only time he connected with Celeste was during a Xana attack, but his friends didn’t think it was right that he was wishing for an attack. They all feared that one day they would mess up and the world would be at Xana’s mercy. So, the last thing they wanted was frequent attacks.

“Odd again?” Aelita asked, sending a sympathetic look her boyfriend’s way.

“Of course.”

“One of these times he might actually be right.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

Aelita slid a little closer to Jeremie’s side and placed her head on his shoulder. He smiled, happy for the small distraction.

“He really likes her, you know.” Aelita said, bringing his attention back to Odd.

“I know, but he shouldn’t be wishing for a Xana attack. It’s not right.”

“Maybe. But didn’t you risk it all to save me multiple times? When I was stuck on Lyoko, you did everything to materialize me. When I had the virus inside of me, you did whatever it took to free me. How is this any different? He’s doing it for love.”

Jeremie placed his arm around Aelita’s shoulders and sighed.

“Yea, I guess you’re right. Still, he’s too distracted.”

Aelita couldn’t argue with that. Odd couldn’t focus on anything lately. Ulrich even said he barely slept, and it was noticeable by the dark circles under his eyes. His grades were suffering more than usual, and he spent far too much time in the principal’s office.

The only time Jeremie got any privacy was when he hid in the woods, like he was now. It was impossible for him and Aelita to spend time together without Odd popping up out of nowhere.

Distant thunder sounded causing Jeremie to groan. Now they’d have to go back to campus, with Odd. Exactly where he didn’t want to be right now. The two stood, dusting dirt and grass of their backsides, and grabbed their bags. Aelita grabbed hold of Jeremie’s hand and smiled.

“Once he wins her over, this will all be over. Just wait.” She said.

Jeremie wondered when that would be.

\--

Afternoon classes were dragging. The rain had started just as Aelita and Jeremie made it back to campus. There had been no rain in the forecast, so neither had brought an umbrella with them. They were both soaked by the downpour by the time they reached their classroom. Odd and Ulrich were already there. Ulrich looked tired, no doubt having been pestered by Odd about attacks all morning. Odd sat with his chin in his hand, staring at Celeste with a lovesick expression. When he noticed Jeremie, he perked up.

“Jeremie! Anything yet?” He asked as his friend approached.

“No Odd. I’ll tell you when something happens.” Jeremie grumbled, taking his seat.

Class started but Odd barely paid attention. He was distracted, watching for any sign of a Xana attack. Multiple times he’d used something they were learning about to attack them. Odd scanned the room for any sign of a black cloud.

The class was close to over when a bolt of lightening lit up the sky, startling everyone as it was closely followed by a roll of thunder that shook the windows. The lights overhead flickered. The class was suddenly alive with students panicked and intrigued by the storm.

“Alright, alright.” Mrs. Hertz called out over the ruckus. “Calm down. It’s just a storm.”

The lights flickered again before going out completely. Mrs. Hertz dismissed the class, ordering them to go to the gym until further notice. Everyone filed out of the room, excited about classes being postponed while the power was out. The most excited out of all of them, was Odd.

“It was Xana, right?” Odd asked as they entered the gym.

“Unlikely.” Jeremie responded.

“It’s worth a look though, isn’t it?” Aelita said, sympathizing with Odd.

Jeremie sighed and sat against the wall, pulling his laptop out. His friends sat around him, forming a small circle. After a few minutes of typing, a familiar beep filled the small space around them. That confirmed it.

“I knew it!” Odd cheered.

“Not exactly something to be happy about, Odd.” Ulrich chastised his friend.

“We don’t even know if it’s the storm. We need to keep a look out for anything else as we make our way to the factory.” Yumi said, glancing around the gym for any suspicious behavior from teachers and students alike.

“We’d better sneak out of here and hurry to the factory.” Jeremie pointed out the obvious and the group stood.

“I’m not going.” Odd said, refusing to follow his friends.

“Why not?” Ulrich asked, slightly angry.

“Every time Xana attacks, I save Celeste and we start to get close. It could happen again. It’s the only chance I have.”

Moved by his words and the sad look on his face, his friends consented and left him behind as they ran toward the side door that would lead them outside discreetly.

With his friend’s gone, Odd set about looking for Celeste. If anything happened, he needed to be near her so he could save her if needed. He was sure she’d be sitting off to the side by herself reading a book, but she was nowhere to be seen. She’d been in class with them and he knew that she had been with them when they came to the gym. He spotted Sissi with Herb and Nicholas, chatting about something, probably herself.

“Sissi. Have you seen Celeste?” He asked.

“Who?” She raised an eyebrow.

“The new girl. The cute one who sits behind you in class.” Nicholas said.

“Oh yea. I saw her on the way here. She broke away from the group and went toward the woods.” Sissi said, suddenly remembering.

“I heard Jim say the water levels are rising at an accelerated rate. Hopefully she doesn’t go near the river.” Herb said.

A pang of panic struck Odd in the chest. “I’m going after her. Cover for me, ok?”

Before Sissi could ask any questions, Odd was running toward the side door. He was still wet from his first trip outside from the class to the gym, but this time he was getting soaked through. He didn’t pay it any attention as he took off toward the woods.

Why would she do something so dangerous? She was so quiet and kept to herself. He didn’t take her for a risk taker. He just hoped he could find her before anything happened.

“Celeste!” He called out as he ran amongst the trees. The rain was loud, so even if she responded, he hadn’t heard.

He headed in the direction of the river. It was dangerous, but he needed to be sure that she was safe. When he reached the edge of the water, it had already begun to climb up and over the grass. Two trees that had been near the river were submerged at the bottoms. The water was already up to Odd’s ankles.

“Celeste!” He called again, hoping to hear her.

Raindrops hitting the water splashed loudly, but farther down he heard more frantic splashing. Could be an animal that got washed away, either way he had to go. Carefully making his way along the river, just out of the water’s reach, he listened carefully to make sure he was going the right way. The splashing stopped, and he strained to listen for it to pick back up.

“Help!” A voice called.

Odd jumped and took off toward the call for help, further down the river. He waded through the water carefully, holding onto a tree for support. When he rounded the tree, there she was. She was in the river, water up to her shoulders, clinging to a root. Odd carefully walked toward her, the water up to midcalf at this point.

“Hold on!” He called. “I’m coming to help!”

She jerked her head in his direction, relief flooding her usually expressionless eyes. It was too dangerous for him to wade out to her. They’d both be stuck if he did. He couldn’t wait for his friends to reach the tower either. Looking around for anything to reach to her, he found a large stick he hoped was long enough to reach her.

He quickly ran out of the water to retrieve it before heading back. He held onto a low branch on a nearby tree and leaned as far out as he could, reaching the tree branch out to her.

“Grab hold! I’ll pull you up!”

Celeste shakily let go of the root with one hand and reached for the stick. It was just beyond her finger tips and her hand fell back into the water. She quickly grabbed hold of the root again.

“I can’t reach!” She cried out.

“You have to try!” Odd strained even more, reaching as far as he possibly could.

Celeste took a deep breath and lunged forward, releasing the root entirely. Her fingers grazed the stick, but she was unable to grab hold. She screamed as the current began to take her. She scrambled to grab onto something else to keep her head above water but there was nothing.

“Celeste!” Odd cried out as her head went under the water’s surface.

If he dove in he may be able to save her, he told himself. With the stick still in hand, he let go of the branch and rushed forward. When the water reached his knee, a hand stuck up out of the water and grabbed the stick. Startled, Odd grabbed the stick with both hands and dug his feet into the mud beneath him. He pulled with all of his might until Celeste’s head emerged from the water. He walked backward while pulling on the stick, slowly but surely dragging her from the river.

When back on relatively dry land, Celeste released the stick and collapsed on her hands and knees, coughing up water. Odd dropped the stick and ran to her side, dropping to his knees beside her.

“You ok?” He asked.

“My throat hurts.” She said, coughing again and spitting out some water. “But at least I can breathe again.”

“Come on, we have to get out of here.”

He helped her to her feet and supported her while they quickly made their way toward campus.

\--

Celeste had refused to go back to the gym, sure that she would get in trouble when she walked in completely soaked to the bone and coughing up water. Instead, Odd took her back to her dorm. She retrieved the two towels she used from her closet and offered one to Odd. He took it and dried his hair first, enjoying the way it smelled like her.

“What were you doing out there?” He asked.

She looked guilty and couldn’t look at him. “There’s this bird nest I found in a bush. It was near the river and when I heard Jim say the water was rising, I knew the babies were in danger. They can’t even fly yet. I went to move it. The mother wasn’t there when I got there so I moved the nest to a higher branch in the tree.” She coughed and wiped a bit of water from her lips. “I had to stand on my toes to reach and I slipped.”

“You risked your life for a few birds?” He asked.

“They were babies. Helpless and alone. I had to.”

Odd stared at her. She still looked guilty but also a little happy that she’d saved them despite nearly drowning.

“We should probably change into dry clothes.” He said, deciding not to lecture just yet. “I’ll change and come back to check on you.”

She nodded and Odd left, closing the door behind him. Once out in the hall, he let out a long sigh. Xana attacking was terrible. Celeste nearly drowning was worse. But once again he saved her, and once again, they were conversing normally. He couldn’t help but have a little skip in his step as he made his way downstairs to his room.

He pulled out his phone, which was wet but still working. He dialed Jeremie and it rang twice before he answered.

“Odd, is everything ok over there?” He asked in way of greeting.

“Yea. Everything’s great.” He sighed happily.

“I take it things are going well this time?”

“Perfect. What about you guys?”

“Yumi and Ulrich are fighting off a few monsters and Aelita is making her way to the tower. It should be over any minute now.”

Odd was overtaken by a wave of despair. Sure, they needed to stop Xana, but he couldn’t stand the thought of Celeste forgetting him again.

“No one has, like, nearly died from this attack, right?” Odd asked.

“I’ve been keeping an eye on the news and nothing has come up yet.”

“Then, do you have to return to the past this time?” Odd asked, hopeful.

“Well…I guess not, no.”

“Please, please, please don’t!” Odd begged.

“I won’t if I don’t have to.” Jeremie agreed.

Satisfied, Odd wished them luck and hung up. He quickly changed into dry clothes. There was nothing he could do about his deflated hair while it was still wet, but he wanted to make it back to Celeste as soon as possible. He stopped by a vending machine in the hall on the way back to her room to retrieve two paper cups of hot cocoa.

When he reached her door, he balanced both cups in one hand, so he could knock. When the door opened, Celeste stood there in sweat pants and an oversized sweatshirt. Her wet hair draped over one shoulder, wetting the shirt slightly. Even like this she was beautiful in Odd’s eyes.

“I, uh, brought hot cocoa.” He said, holding a cup out to her.

“Thanks.” She said, taking the cup and moving away from the door.

Odd walked in and stood awkwardly in the center of the room. Nervous, he looked around at what she had around. The walls were plastered with pages torn from a sketch book. He guessed that she was the one who drew them and hoped they weren’t gifts from a boyfriend back home. Her desk was littered with pencils and balls of crumpled paper. Her bookshelf was fully stocked with an overspill stacked up on the floor in front of it and on top. She didn’t have a roommate, so in the space where another bed would be was a set of drawers. The top drawer stood open a crack and Odd could see art supplies inside.

When he turned back to her, she was watching him. Suddenly feeling self-conscious, his face heated with blush and he looked at anything but her. His eyes landed on one of the sketches on the wall.

“Did you draw those?” He asked, gesturing with the cup of hot cocoa.

She followed his gaze to the wall. It was her turn for her cheeks to light up with blush. “Yea.” She said sheepishly.

“They’re awesome.”

“Thanks.”

The room fell silent again and Odd wasn’t sure what to say. This was his chance! He had to make his move now!

“You can sit if you want.” She said, pointing to her desk chair.

“Oh, thanks!” He said, happy that she wasn’t asking him to leave. Offering a seat meant he could stay.

“I should probably thank you...for saving me.” She said, picking at a lose string on her comforter.

“It was no problem, really.”

“What were you doing in the woods? I thought I heard someone calling my name.”

Odd coughed, momentarily choking on a mouthful of hot cocoa. “I…um…heard someone say they had seen you go toward the woods and I thought it might be dangerous so I…just…went after you.”

“Guess I got lucky.”

“You should have told someone what you were doing. What would have happened if no one had seen?”

 _“And I hadn’t been looking for you.”_ He added internally.

“I don’t really know anyone. There was no one to tell.”

Of course, he never saw her talking to anyone.

“Well, now you know me.” He said, mentally hitting himself for the cheesy line.

She laughed, and he nearly dropped his cup. He’d never even seen her smile before.

“Yea, I guess I do.” She giggled.

He smiled. “If you don’t mind me asking…why don’t you ever talk to anyone?”

“I just…have trouble getting along with others. I’ve been told I’m too serious and I never know what to say to others. I’m worried that if I say the wrong thing, they’ll get the wrong impression of me or hate me.” She chewed her bottom lip, embarrassed by her admission.

All this time, Odd had thought she hated him when, in reality, she was nervous about him hating her if she said something he didn’t like. He sighed and noticeably relaxed.

“No one says the wrong thing as much as I do, trust me. You don’t have to worry about that with me.” He grinned.

“But you’re surrounded by friends. I’ve even seen you hanging out with that really popular girl.”

“Yea but I only became friends with them because I put myself out there. And Ulrich was my roommate and…”

_“And we had the save the world.”_

“…and they didn’t all like me at first.” He finished.

“It’s just…scary.”

“I could introduce you to my friends if you want. They’re really nice and I know they’d like you.” He said, trying to reassure her.

“I…I don’t know.”

“It doesn’t hurt to try.”

She looked him in the eyes, a look of doubt on her face. “Ok.”

They continued to stare at each other, silently. Odd suddenly felt a little insecure. Was she trying to figure him out? Was she unsure about him? He was about to break the silence, when she beat him to it.

“I’ve never seen your hair down before. It’s always sticking straight up.” She said.

So that’s what she’d been staring at. “Yea, it looks weird, right?”

“No. It’s…different.”

Odd smiled and she turned her gaze to the window. “The rain stopped.” She said.

Odd looked and sure enough the rain had stopped, and the sun was coming out. Odd looked down at his phone, afraid that Jeremie would call to tell him that they had to do a return. He jumped when his phone buzzed with a new text.

“Everything’s fine. See you back at campus soon. -Jeremie”

Odd smiled so wide it hurt his cheeks. She wouldn’t forget him this time. He finally had his chance to get close to her. Mentally he thanked Xana for his lame attempt at destroying them. Maybe he was right about the whole matchmaker thing after all.


End file.
